Yesterday, President Donald Trump stood before the press and made a statement that struck at the very heart of mothers everywhere. Without presenting new data, without consulting experts, and without offering alternatives, he declared:
“I want to say it like it is, don’t take Tylenol … Ideally you don’t take it at all … I think you shouldn’t take it.”
On its surface, it was one more example of Trump’s off-the-cuff style. But for mothers, those words carried a heavier weight. With a few sentences, the president of the United States suggested that autism—a condition already surrounded by misunderstanding and stigma—might be the fault of mothers who had taken a common pain reliever during pregnancy. No evidence, no nuance, no compassion. Just blame.
The Lifelong Burden of Motherhood
Motherhood is often described as a joy, and it is. But it is also an unrelenting responsibility. I became a mother at twenty-one, young, uncertain, and overwhelmed. From the moment I learned I was pregnant, my mind filled with questions that have never left me: Am I making the right decisions? How will this affect my child? Am I doing enough?
These questions are the silent companions of every mother I know. They resurface with every milestone, every setback, every choice. We second-guess ourselves endlessly because we know our decisions shape another human being’s life. No one criticizes us more harshly than we criticize ourselves.
To carry that invisible burden is difficult enough. To have it amplified by the president, who suggests that something as ordinary as Tylenol might have harmed our children, is not only reckless—it is cruel.
What the Science Actually Says
The causes of autism are complex and still not fully understood. Research has explored genetics, environmental influences, and prenatal factors. Some studies have raised questions about a possible association between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and developmental outcomes. A 2025 review by researchers from Mount Sinai and Harvard looked at 46 studies with over 100,000 participants and found an association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and higher rates of autism and ADHD—but emphasized that association is not causation (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, ScienceDaily).
At the same time, other large-scale studies undermine that association. A Swedish sibling-control study of 2.48 million children (1995–2019) found no increased risk of autism or ADHD when comparing siblings, suggesting the observed associations in general population data may reflect confounding factors such as genetics or maternal health (JAMA Network).
The World Health Organization has also weighed in, stating that evidence for a link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism remains inconsistent (Reuters).
This distinction matters. Scientists themselves emphasize the need for more rigorous research before drawing conclusions. Public health leaders warn against overstating preliminary findings because misinformation can cause real harm. Tylenol is currently one of the few pain relievers considered safe during pregnancy, and dismissing it outright leaves women without options.
President Trump did not acknowledge any of this. He did not call for careful study or consult medical authorities. Instead, he made a sweeping statement that offered no clarity, no reassurance, and no alternatives. He left mothers to carry the weight of his words alone.
How Mothers Hear These Words
When I heard Trump’s comments, my first reaction was anger. Why erase decades of research and issue warnings without evidence? Why dismiss the complexities of science with a single careless command? But beneath the anger was something else: a deep sadness for the mothers who would internalize his words.
Consider the mother who has just received her child’s autism diagnosis. She is already grieving the life she imagined, while learning to embrace the life her child will lead. Now she hears the president suggesting that perhaps she is to blame.
Consider the pregnant woman lying awake at night, exhausted and in pain, already questioning every decision. She reads the headline and wonders if the Tylenol she took last week will shape her baby’s future.
Consider the mothers who advocate daily for their autistic children, navigating systems that often deny them support. Instead of affirmation, they hear another voice reinforcing guilt and blame.
Motherhood is a lifelong current of worry. It begins the moment we discover we are carrying life and flows unceasingly until our final breath. For a man who will never know that burden to speak so casually about it is not only irresponsible—it is inhumane.
A Pattern of Recklessness
This moment cannot be separated from the broader pattern of Trump’s presidency. Again and again, he has chosen blame over solutions, spectacle over substance, and division over unity. His leadership has been marked by a refusal to take responsibility and a willingness to use fear as a political tool.
Here, too, he shifted responsibility away from systems, research, and policy, and placed it squarely on mothers. Rather than calling for investment in autism research or better support for families, he offered a sound bite that deepens stigma.
Even internationally, health officials have criticized his statement. The UK’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting flatly rejected Trump’s claim, urging people to trust medical professionals rather than politicians when it comes to health guidance (The Guardian).
Women—and particularly mothers—have long been cast as convenient scapegoats in politics. When something goes wrong in society, fingers are too often pointed at women’s choices, bodies, and roles. From debates over welfare in the 1980s that vilified “welfare mothers,” to the ongoing battles over reproductive rights where women are shamed for seeking autonomy, to the moral panics that accuse mothers of failing to raise children “the right way,” women are consistently blamed for systemic problems that extend far beyond individual households. Motherhood, in particular, becomes a political battleground where leaders deflect responsibility by suggesting that if mothers had just behaved differently, social challenges would vanish. Trump’s statement about Tylenol and autism is simply the latest iteration of this pattern. By suggesting mothers might be at fault, he not only reinforces the age-old tradition of blaming women, but he also inflicts fresh harm on those already carrying the heaviest emotional and physical burdens of caregiving. The familiarity of this tactic does not lessen its damage—it deepens it, because it reminds women that our struggles are not new, and that once again, the weight of blame is being placed on our shoulders.
The Mental Health Cost
There is already a mental health crisis in this country. Mothers in particular face rising rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout. The pressures of caregiving, economic strain, and societal judgment weigh heavily. To add the suggestion that mothers themselves might be to blame for autism is to deepen a wound that already runs deep.
Guilt is often a silent battle. Mothers do not always share their fears aloud, because they dread judgment. They carry them privately, turning them over and over in their minds. Trump’s words will not vanish after the news cycle ends. They will echo in those private moments of self-doubt, reinforcing a loneliness that is already too familiar.
What Leadership Should Look Like
A responsible leader would never use a press conference to deliver unsupported medical advice. A responsible leader would recognize the limits of their own knowledge, listen to experts, and speak with caution.
At minimum, a president should provide reassurance, not condemnation. They should acknowledge mothers’ worries, not deepen them. They should lead with empathy and humanity, recognizing that words can either ease burdens or add to them.
What mothers need is not blame but support. We need evidence-based policy, affordable healthcare, access to mental health resources, and leaders who value our contributions rather than exploit our vulnerabilities.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has made clear that there is no clear evidence proving a direct relationship between prudent acetaminophen use during pregnancy and fetal developmental issues (CBS News). They advise that Tylenol remains appropriate when recommended by a doctor, because untreated fever and pain can themselves endanger both mother and child. That is the kind of careful, responsible guidance we deserve from our leaders.
A Mother’s Final Word
Motherhood is a gift, but it is also a weight that is carried every day, in every decision, and in every quiet moment of self-reflection. It is demanding, consuming, and unlike anything else in the human experience.
President Trump’s comments on Tylenol and autism were not only unsupported by science; they were devoid of compassion. They placed yet another burden on mothers who already carry more than enough.
We do not need a president who blames us. We need a president who stands beside us, who trusts science, who uses words with care, and who fights for the well-being of families rather than undermining them.
Mothers don’t need another reason to question themselves. We need leaders who fight for us, not against us.
